Con le pinne nuove faccio una vasca in meno tempo.

It means with the new fins or using the new fins.

• con = with
• le pinne = the fins
• nuove = new

In this sentence, pinne refers to swimming fins/flippers, not fish fins.

Italian often uses the definite article more than English does.

So con le pinne nuove is very natural if the speaker means a specific pair of new fins, probably the ones they have just got or are talking about.

• con le pinne nuove = with the new fins
• con pinne nuove = with new fins

The version without le is possible in some contexts, but it sounds more general and less specific.

In Italian, adjectives often come after the noun.

So:

• le pinne nuove = the new fins

This is the most neutral, standard order.

You may sometimes see an adjective before the noun, but that can sound more literary, emphatic, or slightly different in nuance. For a simple descriptive sentence, pinne nuove is the normal choice.

Yes, literally it looks strange to an English speaker.

• faccio comes from fare, which often means to do or to make
• una vasca literally means a tub / a pool / a tank

But in swimming contexts, fare una vasca is an idiomatic expression. It means:

• to swim a length
• to do a lap
• more generally, to swim across the pool once

So you should learn fare una vasca as a set expression used in swimming.

In everyday swimming Italian, una vasca usually means one length of the pool.

Depending on context, English speakers might translate it as:

• a length
• a lap

But be careful: in some varieties of English, lap can suggest going there and back, while vasca often refers to just one crossing of the pool.

So the safest explanation is: one pool length.

Yes, but fare is extremely common and flexible in Italian. It is used in many expressions where English uses a different verb.

Here:

• faccio una vasca = I swim a length / I do a lap

So this is one of those cases where you should not translate word for word. Italian uses fare, while English uses swim or do depending on the phrasing.

Also, faccio is:

• 1st person singular
• present tense

So it means I do / I make / I swim depending on the expression.

Because the speaker is talking about one length/lap.

• una vasca = one length / a lap

The article una here works like a/an in English.

If the sentence were plural, you might get:

• faccio due vasche = I do two lengths

It means in less time.

• in = in
• meno = less
• tempo = time

So the idea is: the speaker can swim that length faster than before, because it takes less time.

A natural English translation would be:

• I swim a length in less time
• I do a lap faster
• With the new fins, I can do a length in less time

Both are possible, but they express the idea slightly differently.

• in meno tempo = in less time
• più velocemente = more quickly / faster

The original sentence focuses on the amount of time needed, not directly on speed. In practice, the meaning is very similar.

So:

• Con le pinne nuove faccio una vasca in meno tempo
  = With the new fins, I do a length in less time

Another possible sentence would be:

• Con le pinne nuove faccio una vasca più velocemente
  = With the new fins, I do a length faster

Both are fine, but the original emphasizes time taken.

Because meno tempo is being used as an indefinite quantity: less time.

Italian often does this just like English:

• più tempo = more time
• meno tempo = less time
• molto tempo = a lot of time

You do not need an article here.

That part is placed first to set the scene: with the new fins.

Italian word order is fairly flexible. Starting with Con le pinne nuove gives prominence to the thing that makes the difference.

The sentence could also be rearranged, for example:

• Faccio una vasca in meno tempo con le pinne nuove

But the original sounds more natural if the speaker wants to emphasize the fins.

So the structure is something like:

• With the new fins, I do a lap in less time.

Yes, that is the natural idea.

Even though the sentence literally says I do a length in less time, the real message is that the new fins help the speaker swim faster or more efficiently.

So if you are translating for meaning rather than word-for-word form, you could say:

• With the new fins, I can swim a length faster
• The new fins let me do a lap in less time

Yes, it is in the present indicative.

• faccio = I do / I make

In Italian, the present tense can describe:

• something happening now
• a habitual action
• a general fact

Here it most likely expresses a general present fact:

• With the new fins, I do a length in less time
• meaning now that I have them, I’m faster

So it is not necessarily about one single moment right now; it can describe the speaker’s current ability or usual result.